Desire (Updates resume Feb 15)
by LifeofaWarLord
Summary: Ishi is an Amanojaku, a daiyōkai that relies on illusion to get any and everything she wants. Her current goal: completing the Shikon jewel for her own benefit. But, eventually, the Shikon jewels becomes much less important as she tries to prove to both herself and the ones she cares for where her illusions end and true emotion begins. SessxOC
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Next chapter will be up soon. I won't make the others as long. Anyway, as always, check my profile for updates on this story and the others. Enjoy, and have a wonderful day/evening! :)

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"They aren't far off, the Shikon Jewels!"

Kagome ran ahead of the group. A few days ago, she'd sensed a small cluster of jewels moving nearby where they'd set up camp. Naturally, the gang decided to follow behind them and eventually grab them. Whoever had the clusters didn't seem to notice, and moved place to place without much urgency. Yesterday, the trail ended, and the clusters settled into one spot.

So now here they were, moving to capture them and the demon who had them. Inuyasha was initially on edge, sensing that it was full yōkai. But the demon never approached them or made any indication it knew they were there, so they figured it was a low-level demon.

"Kagome! Wait up, ya stupid girl!" Kagome turned with a look of annoyance on her face. Balling her hands into fists, she took a deep breath. He had been really rude to her as of late. Then again, she hadn't punished him lately either. It'd been like that for a while : Inuyasha would behave, and she'd stop making him sit. Then, he'd turn into a jerk, and she'd make him sit a thousand times. And then the cycle started again

Even though Sango warned her, she was trying to give Inuyasha a chance to prove his feelings for her. He could be so sweet, but most of the time he was just a dog-eared thug. All she wanted was some consistency, and preferably for him to stop talking down on her.

_He still hasn't learned, eh? Well then…._

"Sit Boy!"

She heard him crash to the ground, but wasn't satisfied.

"Sit Boy!Sit Boy!Sit Boy!Sit Boy!Sit Boy!Sit Boy!Sit Boy! SIT!" She chanted, and the group walked around the dog demon as he was pummeled further into the dirt. Miroku walked by, and looked down at him. He was enjoying it all, and gave Inuyasha a _tsk_ before slapping him on the head with his staff.

"You should know by now not to speak rudely against a beautiful lady," he chided. Inuyasha lay, moaning in the dirt.

" I…I just wanted…her to wait up for me,"he whined.

The group did not wait for him to get up, instead following after Kagome. They reached a hill, and she paused to point at the compound in the distance.

"The demon with the jewel is somewhere in there!" she said. Despite it being day light, it seemed like there was a huge celebration going on. They could smell cooking meat, and people cheered wildly.

"That village is beautiful. This is one of the nicest we've seen so far," Sango said. Kirara mewled on her shoulder, jumping to sit on her head.

"And think," Kagome said,"we can grab this demon and then relax. Whatever is going on there, it looks like the festival is just starting. We can get a room and have a little fun!" At the idea of sleeping underneath a room, free from bugs, she cheered. She ran ahead of the group, skipping into the village happily.

_Just think a hot bath…fresh food…I won't have to eat another cup of noodles for at least three or four days!_

Inuyasha suddenly appeared at her side. He was covered in dirt, but he was still so…cute. Kagome shook her head, snapping out of it and looking straight ahead.

_He was a jerk….a cute jerk._

"You're just running headfirst into this place? The demon will sense us!"

"Oh hush! We've been tailing it for days, and it hasn't even stopped once. We'll be fine." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, but stopped talking. He was about one word from being told to sit again, and he didn't want any part of that. For now, he'd go along with her demands…silently.

"Kagome!" Shippo called, with Miroku and Sango. They were walking off to the side, following the sounds of the celebration. The streets were, oddly enough, empty. They could hear the crowd cheering, but they walked past empty restaurants and houses.

"For a festival, it sure is empty," Shippo said, laughing nervously.

"Yeah…its like a ghost town here," Miroku said. The noise got closer, but there still weren't any people. After an uneasy period of time, they found the square of the town.

Kagome sighed, relaxing as a huge crowd came together in the town square. Food carts line the walls, steaming and fragrant meals calling Kagomes name. There was dancing, and the teen wanted nothing more then to go rent a room, and join in. However, something tugged at her, in the back of her mind. The demon was there.

She looked around the crowd, focusing.

"Something's wrong here, Inuyasha."

They moved through the crowd, and the people moved to accommodate them in unnatural ways. It was if there was a bubble surrounding them, pushing the townspeople away. None of them ever turned for the group to look in their faces. They stopped, andKagome called out to a man nearby.

"Excuse me, sir? I was just wondering…what are you celebrating exactly?" He turned, slowly. As he did, every other person in the crowd turned with him. It was then that time just seemed to stop. The music stopped, the talking and cheering ceased. Even the surrounding forest seemed to grow quiet. Kagome looked up into a thousand pair of black, empty eyes. The group howled, moving closer together to defend themselves from the bug-eyed creatures.

Inuyasha unsheathed Tessaiga, and she saw Miroku begin to unwrap his hand.

"I thought there was only one demon?!" Sango said, preparing to attack with the others. With Tessaiga drawn, Inuyasha inhaled deeply.

"There is, and it's none of these freaks. Kagome, where are the shard?!" Kagome was definitely freaked out. The townspeople all wore the same smile. It was as if they were one person. None of them moved, or even spoke, just stared.

"They're being controlled! We can't attack them! The demon is -"

"Right here," a voice called. The towns people flew apart, to form a single pathway to the very center of the festival. Suddenly, a huge golden statue appeared. It was of a bull, and around it were big bonfires.

"Is this their God?" Miroku asked, moving to step forward. The others, still creeped out by the humans, moved as well.

"A God? Hardly,"the voice laughed. It echoed around them, teasing and feminine.

And then she appeared, sitting with legs crossed on the head of the bull.

"I figured instead of coming to you, I'd let you come to me." She smiled down at them, then motioned around her. "Welcome!"

She was in a bodysuit, made of black and gold snake scales. It clung to her brown skin, making a deep v to expose cleavage and her belly button. On her arms, it spread down to her fingertips, forming hard talons. She herself had a pretty face, electric blue eyes. In the center of her forehead was a single blue circle. Her hair was short, messy and silver . On the sides of her head were two massive horns.

"You knew we were following you?" Kagome asked. So far, she had not seemed threatening. She hoped they could avoid fighting, especially with the villager still grinning and lining the walls.

"Um…yeah, thought we already established that. I just wanted to see who was following me. I sensed you had Shikon jewels, and there was a half breed somewhere nearby" she sniffed the air,"wet dog by the smell of it."

"What do you mean you sensed the Shikon Jewels?!" Miroku yelled. The demon rolled her eyes. Her smile dropped, and was replaced by an annoyed frown.

"You're not a bright bunch, are you?" Immediately as she said that, the teens were hit with a huge wave of power.

"She's been suppressing her strength this whole time," Sango said. On her head Kirara continued to snarl and spit. Kagome looked at the demon, now being able to assess her power. Still, she did not move. In fact, she didn't seem hostile...at all. Most demons would have tried to eat them long before this point, even more so with as many Shikon shards as she had. She seemed genuinely uninterested in them, however.

_She had to be really powerful before getting the shards to keep herself in control like this._

"So you only took hold of these people so you could lure us here?" Sango asked, looking at the motionless puppets beside them. The demon looked down at the possessed townspeople, tapping a talon against her cheek.

"Partly. I needed to feed as well." Inuyasha pushed Kagome behind him, pointing Tessaiga at the demon.

"Feed?" He snarled, and his whole body tensed as he prepared to attack should she strike first. She didn't even move to look at him, just continued eyeing the heads of the villagers.

"Oh heel, mutt. What I do is harmless. Watch." She snapped her finger, and the people came to life. They began dancing, singing, and carrying on as they had been before. Although their eyes were black, they seemed…happy.

But, as the crowd got rowdier, Kagome saw robes fly into the air.

"Uh, guys," Miroku started. He pointed to the far right corner of the crowd. They all turned to look, looking away quickly when they saw the nearby group rutting and moaning over one another. More clothes flew off, and people began to run naked. Thankfully, the buffer was still around the group, and they were not touched by anyone. An old man ran past them, and Sango made a noise that sounded like terror and embarrassment. The fires crackled, but there was no smoke. The golden bull reflected light over them, mesmerizing the villagers.

"I've heard of demons like her. They're not evil, per se. They feed off base desires. They're called Amanojaku," Miroku whispered, blushing as a group of naked women twirled past them. Sango looked at him, smacking him on the back of his hand. The group moved closer together, so they stood back to back. Even though the people could not touch them, it was a weird and uncomfortable situation. Shippo moved to bury his face in Miroku's robe, groaning. Inuyasha tried his hardest to remain focused on the demon before them, waiting for her attack.

"Inuyasha, relax!" Kagome pleaded. "We can't do anything now! There are too many innocent people!" Inuyasha glanced at her, but kept his blade drawn. Kagome thought that they could continue talking - although ideally somewhere else - and come to an agreement. From what she felt of the shards, the corruption in them was minimal. She looked up, past the swirl of bodies, to see the jewel cluster resting in a pouch. A pouch that, to Kagome's surprise, was tied around the horn of the statue.

_She's not even using the jewels!_

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," The voice said. Despite the noise, her voice was loud and clear. She jumped from her perch, coming to float above them. She looked down to speak to Kagome.

"If you plan on taking my jewels so you can turn that mutt into a full yōkai, I suggest you quickly change plans." She sneered at Inuyasha.

"You half-breeds disgust me. You get a taste of power with these shards, and you turn into something worse than demons."

Kagome immediately opened her mouth to speak, sensing this demon was not going to harm them. But Inuyasha interrupted her, insulted and angry.

"Look bitch! I'm not in the mood for a lecture from some pervert demon. Now, give us the goddamn jewels and then let these people go!" He pointed Tessaiga upward at her.

"Otherwise, you can take that superiority shit up with my blade!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome looked between him and the horned demon. Her suit of scales glittered and sparkled in the sun as she floated above them, and she remained silent. With arms crossed, she looked down at them. The villagers who weren't busy eating or singing or… other things raised their hands to sky.

"Goddess Ishi!" They cried, smiling. They chanted it, slowly, and with increasing volume. The demon, Ishi, began to vibrate, and a buzzing noise filled the air.

She vibrated with more intensity, becoming a blur. The buzzing became louder, and much more shrill. The hanyō dropped Tessaiga, moving to cover his ears. The demon continued to vibrate in the sky. Around them, Kagome felt the earth quivering, and buildings began to crumble. The walls surrounding the village began to crack. The fire pits suddenly roared, shooting up into the sky. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha shoulder, shaking him.

"Inuyasha! Get up! Get up we have to get out of here!" He ignored her, groaning as the buzzing drowned out everything around them. The groan rose to a pained scream, and Inuyasha curled up on the buffer around the group of teens got smaller. People, naked and clothed, swarmed them. Kagome let out a scream. Hands and mouths were on them, and Kagome was terrified that they'd be eaten alive.

Inuyasha wrapped a clawed hand in Kagome's shirt, and pulled her to him. Miroku and Sango jumped out of the horde. Inuyasha did the same, and Kagome opened her eyes. Surprised, she looked around.

They were still at camp, in the woods. There was no horde, no demon, no town.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha put Kagome down, and the group stood in confusion.

"It was an illusion," Miroku whispered,"She…she was feeding off of us." The pot of noodles boiled over and the fire jumped in response. Leaves lay shriveled and scattered on their sleeping bags, and inside the tents. On the leaves were drawings of faces, silly and happy like the ones Kagome saw in the make-believe town. .Off to the side, Shippo rummaged through Kagome's bag. With a loud gasp, he moved to pul at her sock.

"Kagome! The jewels are gone!"


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey guys, I appreciate all reviews I get. I will be uploading two more chapters by the end of the weekend. Enjoy! :)

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The group was frantic, trying to figure out where she could have gone.

"She could be anywhere by now! Who knows how long we've been standing here like this,"Sango said, removing her clothes to reveal her suit underneath. Kirara transformed beside her, roaring as her master jumped onto her back. Miroku hopped on behind her, as did Shippo. Inuyasha pulled Kagome onto his back. This was a matter of speed - they couldn't afford to lose another second. They'd acquired quite a few shards, and losing them meant trouble.

"Kagome! Can you sense her cluster of shards? It may be the only way we can find her!" Kagome tried to focus, but could not. In the illusion, she'd seen the demon was carrying her pieces in a bag. Oddly enough, they didn't seem to have been touched, as the jewel was more or less completely neutral. Most demons took the jewels and put them in their body, to increase their power. It was weird to Kagome, she'd never seen that before. Not counting how she and her group transported the jewels, this was the first time she'd seen someone - and a demon at that - not use the jewels.

_What's she after? And why take our jewel shards?_

"You guys! I can't sense them, she must have gone pretty far. But, listen: she didn't have the jewels inside her body like most demons. Not only that, but it didn't feel like she was using the jewels at all!" Inuyasha began sniffing the air, the ground, the nearby trees while they tried to figure out what was happening.

"So why'd she take our stuff if she didn't even wanna use it?!" He asked, making a particularly loud snort as he sniffed a spot on the ground thoroughly. Kagome remembered the illusion, trying to pick through to see what had been real. She remembered her, floating over them.

_"If you plan on taking my jewels to turn that mutt into full yōkai, I suggest you quickly change plans."_

_"You half-breeds disgust me. You get a taste of power with these shards, and you turn into something worse than demons."_

"I think she thought we were going to take her pieces, and use them to turn you into a full yōkai when we completed the jewel. She said that the half demons who use the jewel 'turn to something worse than demons'," she turned a narrowed eye toward Inuyasha,"Then Inuyasha insulted her before I could explain myself. I don't think she meant to hurt us, but Inuyasha didn't help our case by opening his big mouth."

The whole group, very slowly, turned to look at the half-demon. He had stopped sniffing, and was laughing nervously, scratching the back of his head. The wind breezed through the camp, and a leaf flew into his face. He coughed, pointing to the south of their camp.

"So…she's that way. Far, but not too far…if you guys want to go get her and stop blaming me for everything!"

xXx

Ishi flew on, moving quickly. On the ankles of suit, two fiery wings sprouted, and helped her move much faster. The jewels moved around in their little pouch, which her little friend held in his paws.

"Kin, I want you to hold that as tightly as possible, okay? Don't let it go until we're far from here." the little bull demon mewled on her shoulder, gold horns shining against his black fur. The group she'd just stolen the jewels from were a pretty decent distance away. They'd been entranced long enough for her to feed, and make a pretty clean get away. Not too far from her was a demon with shards. She knew the half demon was probably trying to follow her scent, so she figured it'd be best to leave the demon alive to serve as a decoy while she covered her tracks.

They'd be in that spot for a few days before the pair left again to find more shards anyway, they needed rest. Ishi in particular, as feeding meant she needed to sleep afterwards.

Kin purred, vibrating happily as she lowered herself to ground below. She settled in a part deep in the forest, quiet and lush with greenery. The wings on her ankles disintegrated, dispersing like ashes around her. The scales of her suit flaked off next, and with it the scent she was sure the half breed would try to follow. Kin jumped from her shoulder to a tree branch. She sighed, scratching her head as the scales swirled around her. She looked around, noting the small lake as well as the peaceful silence of the thick forest. Still naked, she looked to Kin.

"Well, this is good a place as any to set up camp huh?" Kin nodded, and she smiled, snapping her fingers. Slowly, but surely, a home began to dissolve in front of the naked demon. It was small, but beautiful, a comfy lakeside cottage. The house itself sat on top of a stone foundation, individual stones catching the reflection of the water. The home was made of dark, rich wood. Along with the cottage came her usual wear in between travel : a jūnihitoe that mostly consisted of deep reds and purples. It appeared in particles over her skin, covering her as she went up the steps of her home. Kin followed after her, purring and mewing like a cat. She smoothed her short hair, the bang swooping above her eye as she parted it to the right. She slid open her door, looking at the mirror in the entryway. She sighed, happy to be comfortable.

"Let's put these jewels away, little one" The demon and her small companion moved through the elegant and comfortable home, moving into her bedroom. She slid open her empty closet, kneeling into it. She put her hand over a spot on the fine wood, watching a top layer peeled away, leaving just enough room to hide the jewels under the surface. She put the shards, pouch and all, into the hiding spot. She waved her hand over it again, and the wood returned to its original state.

Cushions, big and plush, littered her floor. The two demons plopped down, relaxing into the sea of cushy pillows.

She thought about the half-demon, and his group. Ishi originally had no plans of taking their jewels. But that dog demon was as rude as he was disgusting, and he seemed to be after them for the purpose of becoming full demon. Despite the jewels being relatively pure, it was a risk she could not take. Ishi had seen the worst happen at the hands of juiced up half-demons. They were often so full of rage and envy they destroyed everything they touched.

The memory of a smiling face flashed through her mind, before it quickly being replaced by that same face covered in blood.

She scratched Kin's head, making sure to get behind his ears. The Amanojaku tried to focus on other things, to get away from the memory of blood, but it stayed stubbornly in the forefront of her mind.

The iron-tinged smell filled her nose, along with the stench of dead flesh. Anger boiled into her heart, and her free hand balled into a fist.

"I'll destroy the jewel before that monster can get his hands on it," she announced into the empty space of her room,"and then, when I've destroyed that jewel. I'll make him suffer for all he's done. There will never be another one like him, I'll make sure of that."

Kin, asleep on her chest, let out a tiny fart. It'd been small, but it packed a punch. The smell subsided her anger, and she let out a small laugh as the small bull snored comfortably on her chest.

And then the smiling face came back, pure and undisturbed in her memories. It was as clear as day, the little girl she'd dedicated so much of her life to before she was taken from her. She'd been so beautiful, so wonderful…nothing like the demon who'd failed to protect her.

She closed her eyes, the image of the girl dancing behind her eyelids. As she did so, sleep pulled her deeper into the fantasy. As she drifted away from consciousness, the girl gained a voice. She giggled, pulling Ishi further down into slumber. The demon smiled, the girl of her dreams speaking to her.

"I've missed you so much momma!"

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AN: Next chapter will introduce Sesshomaru and his group. Also, check my profile for the jūnihitoe I (very vaguely) described. It's about twelve layers of clothing, so I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to spend three paragraphs describing it. It's a lot like the clothing Inuyasha's mother wore.


	3. Chapter 3

"Rin! Master Sesshomaru told us to stay here!" The girl ignored her sour companion, continuing to wander through the forest. Beside her A-Un cooed, and swatted at Jaken. She laughed, patting the beasts sides as Jaken squawked behind them.

"Rin!"

"He said to stay in the cover of the forest if we were gonna go look for food. We're doing that, aren't we A-Un?" Her two-headed friend made another noise, this time to agree. The group had wandered, with Rin collecting various things along the way. Lord Sesshomaru went off on his own as usual, and left them to go find what they could to eat. He'd be gone for a day or so, not long. They hadn't gone far, but Jaken was worried they'd get lost or run into a demon.

Whenever Lord Sesshomaru was gone from his sight, Jaken could be a brat.

"We're fine, Jaken! A-Un is here to protect us!" He made a noise, and A-Un swatted his tail at Jaken again.

"I don't need protection! I can handle my own, is what I mean to say!" Rin laughed as they walked. She'd gotten fruit mostly, some herbs. It wasn't much, but Rin didn't need much.

Still, it'd be nice to have a treat… Rin's stomach grumbled loudly at thought of the delicious rice and fish she'd seen on their travels. Sesshomaru would occasionally get her something, as he tried to avoid human villages altogether. But he'd take money for her to go into the village and get food from one of the restaurants.

They hadn't been by other humans in a while, and Rin was hungry for real people food. She wouldn't trouble her lord, though, she didn't want him to worry. In the distance, Rin saw what looked like a house.

Someone is living this far out in the forest? Alone?

Jaken got in front of her, suspicious.

"Let's go back, Rin…I don't like this." Curious, Rin moved past him with A-Un. She was just fine living with Lord Sesshomaru and the others, but it was almost a treat in itself to see other people now.

"Rin!" Jaken crowed.

"C'mon Jaken! Unless you want Lord Sesshomaru to think you let me wander off alone!" She laughed as Jaken made some unknown noise behind her, shrill and loud as he ran to catch up. He grabbed onto A-Un's tail, and the group moved towards the home in the distance. As they moved closer, Rin saw a girl standing in the water of the lake. Her hair was short and silver, falling down by her ears in a messy fashion. She had the wrappings over her chest though, so that was the evidence Rin needed to decide her sex. She was in a rolled up dark blue pants, rolled up to her ankles. One arm was out of her white top as she waded through the water with a spear.

"It's a girl Jaken, we should be safe. Maybe she'll give us some fish." Jaken made a noise of disapproval, but Rin knew the idea of fish was appealing to him. None of them could cook really, and Sesshomaru didn't bother. So the reality that they may have a nice meal was welcome.

A-Un slowed to a trot, stopping beside the lake. Rin moved off of his back, standing at the mouth of water. Closer to the house, Rin saw a basket of fish in the shade of a tree. She looked first at the fish, then the woman. She was still hunched over, spearing at the water calmly.

First instinct told Rin to just steal the basket. It'd been how Rin survived up until now, it was an understandable thought process. But she herself couldn't cook, not well anyway. And none of the demons could. And…it was the first time she'd seen another human. There hadn't been any indication she wasn't alone, and Rin thought maybe she'd like the company.

A-Un and Jaken were nice…enough. She didn't think they'd scare her away.

"Are you going to introduce yourselves?" a voice said. Rin turned to see that the silver-haired woman was no longer fishing, but looking at her and the others. Rin blushed, eyes wide as she walked toward them. The woman's blue eyes narrowed, then widened in surprise.

"Where did you come from?" She asked, and rushed out of the water to stand in front of Rin. She reached out to touch her, but a small burst of flames made her draw back. Jaken righted his staff, and A-Un growled.

"Don't you touch her wench!" The woman looked at him, then Rin again. She squatted down to Rin's level, a smile spreading on her face. She looked pretty surprised, but not mean or even threatening.

"Those two are with you?"

"Yep! They protect me when Lord Sesshomaru goes away!" She nodded, smiling still.

"Where's your lord at?"

"He's -" Suddenly, a loud, bubbly gurgling interrupted Rin. She felt the gurgling in her stomach, and looked down at it.

When she looked back up, the woman was now standing at full height. She had a really weird look on her face. She looked like she'd seen a ghost almost, but she was happy about it. It didn't make Rin too uncomfortable or anything, it was just odd. The woman locked eyes with her and quickly looked away, realizing she'd been staring. She turned on her heel, walking away. Rin looked at Jaken and shrugged. Her stomach rumbled again.

"Well little girl, your lord wouldn't mind if I fed you would he?" She turned a little. Rin looked at the fresh fish in the shade, and her mouth began to water.

"Your friends can have some as well,"the woman called,"come on in please. Even the big one."

Rin looked at Jaken. He was staring after the strange woman.

"We shouldn't follow her Rin, I don't like this…and Lord Sesshomaru would be looking for us in a few days time." The woman grabbed her basket of fish and walk up the steps of her home. She stopped to look at them looking at her, and she smiled. Rin smiled back and waved as she stepped through the door. The home was built in a square, and Rin thought she'd probably be in the courtyard in the middle to cook the fish.

She knew Jaken was probably right…but she also had a feeling they'd be safe. And there were spare rooms, it'd be nice to sleep under a 'd never been in a house like that before, but the ones she saw usually had a lot of people running around.

she might just be lonely….

Rin took A-Un's reins, leading him to the house. Jaken squawked about not going, but Rin ignored him. The trio went up the steps, and entered the home.


End file.
